Shadarius Toodle Leads Auburn's Defensive Breakout in Victory Over Arkansas

The Auburn Tigers needed several young players to step up defensively against Arkansas on Saturday, but nobody made a bigger impact than true freshman linebacker Shadarius Toodle.

And considering it was his first collegiate appearance, what Toodle accomplished was pretty impressive.

Toodle finished Auburn's victory over Arkansas with 11 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks, setting multiple program records in the process.

His three sacks were the most by an Auburn linebacker in a single game and the most by an Auburn player making his collegiate debut.

He also became the first SEC freshman since at least 1996 to record three sacks in his first collegiate game.

And perhaps the most impressive part of his performance was that Toodle was on Auburn's practice squad just three weeks ago.

Following the game, Auburn head coach Alex Golesh admitted that the coaching staff might have waited too long to get Toodle involved.

"Maybe waited too long to play him, but sometimes that's how it shakes," Golesh said.

Maybe it was easy to overlook Toodle to begin the season due to the position he plays, as linebacker was certainly the deepest and most talented spot the Tigers had entering the season, but after the dismissal of Xavier Atkins and a few injuries, Toodle got his chance and made the most of it. 

Auburn entered Saturday's matchup without linebacker Bryce Deas, who Golesh confirmed will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery.

Golesh explained that Auburn had intentionally moved Toodle off the practice squad because the coaching staff believed he was getting closer to being ready.

But I don't think anybody could have expected the freshman to make this kind of impact in his first appearance.

And he wasn't the only young defender who stepped up.

Freshman cornerback Blake Woodby made his first career start against Arkansas and continued to make progress after receiving more opportunities in Auburn's secondary.

Woodby was forced into a bigger role with Sylvester Smith-Reed unavailable, and Golesh specifically mentioned his performance following the game.

Safety AnQuon Fegans also continued his impressive season, recording an interception in the second quarter.

It was Fegans third interception of the season and his third in Auburn's last four games.

Defensive lineman Jourdin Crawford also contributed, tying his career high with five tackles.

Those performances helped Auburn finish with 12 tackles for loss and six sacks, its highest totals in those categories since the 2021 Iron Bowl.

And considering how much Auburn's defense struggled against LSU and Ole Miss, Saturday's performance was an encouraging development.

The Tigers needed their defense to keep them in the game while the offense struggled throughout the first half.

And that's exactly what happened.

Auburn eventually found its rhythm offensively and came away with its fifth victory of the season.

But without Toodle and several other young defenders stepping up, the outcome could have been much different.